Swiveling electrical connector



Aug. 4, 1959 7 Filed Aug. 30, 1954 H. L. $HINN SWIVEL-INC ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FIG. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INV TOR.

ATTORNEY INN Aug. 4, 1959 H. L. SHINN SWIVELING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Aug. 30, 1954 INVENTOR. HENRY L. SHINN ATTORNEY United States Patent O- SWIVELING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Henry'L. Shinn, Akron, Ohio Application August 30, 1954, Serial No. 453,035 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-8) This invention relatm to a swiveling electrical connector.

Heretofore, swiveling electrical connectors have been provided in various forms, but these have been generally expensive to manufacture because of complicated designs thereof, requiring many different forms of complete connector units for different uses and combinations of Wiring connections. t

One object of the present invention is to provide a compact swivel connector of the character described which is readily adaptable in manufacture thereof for a multiplicity of uses, without substantially changing the basic parts thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a swivel connector unit of the character described in the last paragraph, in which certain major parts of the unit are duplicates, whereby manufacturing costs are reduced to a minimum.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swivel electrical connector embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross-section of the same, taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 are horizontal cross-sections, on the same scale, taken substantially on the lines 33 and 4-4, respectively.

Figure 5 is an exploded view, on the same scale, showing the relationship of the. basic parts of the connector with the conductor parts omitted.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross-section, corresponding to Figure 2, showing the same arrangement of said basic parts, but with a different arrangement of electrical conductor means therein, including an adaptor for an electric hair cutter.

Figure 7 is a bottom end View taken on the line 77 of Figure 6.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the numeral 19 designates a unitary swivel-type electrical connector, the basic structural parts of which include a pair of axially aligned, oppositely disposed dielectric housing members 11 and 12, and a dielectric element 13 disposed between the same in a manner and for purposes to be described. The members 11 and 12 are designed to be identical in shape and form, and therefore interchangeable, each being of frusto-conical shape and having a tapered recess or socket 14 of substantial depth extending from an inner face 15 of the member to an annular shoulder 16 (see Figure 5) defined by an inner chamber 17 of reduced diameter. One half 18 of the element 13 is of shape complemental to the shape of the sockets 14 of either member, tobe non-rotatably received therein with the inner peripheral edge of the element in abutment with shoulder 16, and the other half 19 complementally but rotatably received in the socket 14 of the other member (see Figure 2). In the present instance the element halves 18 and 19 are 2,898,572 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 shown received as described in the sockets 14 of the members 11 and 12, respectively.

For non-rotatably securing the element 13 in socket 14 of member 11, a suitable adhesive may be used between the complementally engaging surfaces. Member 11 may be rotatably attached to member 12 by means of a metal pin 20 received in a central aperture 22 through element 13 and threaded into the outer wall 23 of member 12 (see Figure 2). The part 18 of element 13 is shown suitably recessed at 24, from the inner face thereof, to receive an elongated electro-conductive plate 25 extending from under the head 26 of pin 20, and a contact 27 is secured to plate 25 by a screw 28 threaded into elementpart 19, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, said contact having a prong 29 terminating within a rectangular opening 30 in the outer wall 23 of member 11. A similar contact 32 is secured within a recess 33 in element part 18, by a screw 34 received through an aperture 35 in element part 19, contact 32 having a prong 36 terminating within a rectangular opening 37 in wall 23 of member 11, in matching spaced relation to prong 29. Thus, the prongs 29 and 36, within the openings 3%) and 37, respectively, provide a socket contact means for selective electro-conductive engagement by a conventional pronged plug, as on an extension cord (not shown).

Within the chamber 17 of member 12, a contact 38 may be secured against the wall 23, by a shoulder portion on the pin 20, and said contact may have a prong 39 projected through rectangular opening 34 of member 12. By means of a screw 48, a similar contact 42 is secured against wall 23, within chamber 17, to have a mating prong 43 projected through rectangular opening 37, these prongs 39 and 43 being adapted to plug into a conventional contact socket means, as in another connector or a wall outlet box.

The contact 38 is electro-conductively' connected to contact 27 through pin 20 and plate 25. For similarly connecting contact 32 to contact 42, in all positions of relative rotation of the members 11 and 12, an annular part 44 of springy electro-conductive metal is secured at one fiat edge portion 44a thereof to said contact 42, by means of the screw 40, and is bent toward element 13 to have a diametrically opposite flat edge portion 45 in yieldable sliding contact with an annular electro-conductive plate 46, which is secured to the inner face of element part 19 by threaded reception of the end of screw 34 in a threaded hole 47 in plate 46.

In use of the connector 10 described in connection with Figures lto 5, the prongs 39 and 43 of part 12 are plugged into a conventional socket of a wall outlet box (not shown) or other source of electricity. A conventional pronged plug, on the cord of a barbers electric hair clipper C for example (see Figure 6), may then be plugged into the contact socket openings 30 and 37 of member 11. With this arrangement the barber may manipulate the hair clippers at various desired angular positions without twisting the cord, because the member 11 will turn or swivel freely on the member 12.

Not only is the above described arrangement of parts simple and effective in use, but the device is simple and economical to manufacture, because the housing parts 11 and 12 may be made identical as shown, as by use of the same forming dies and other equipment. Moreover, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the basic housing parts, which are of suitable hard rubber or other nonconducting plastic substance, may be assembled with other arrangements of contact or conducting means. Figure 6 shows connection of a pair of wires 52 and 53 of an electric cord 54 to the contact screws 28 and 34. Also, in place of the pronged contacts 38 and 42, tubular contact extensions 55 and 56 of an adapter block 57 may be received in the previously described rectangular openings 30 and 37 f "member 12. A contact plate 58 v bularcontact 56, by a slip ring- 60, similar to slip ring or annulus 44, which is-secured to wall 23by-a=screw 62, threaded in the inner end of the 'contact: 56,"the diametrically opposite side of' ring 60 being in yielding contact with the previously mentioned plate '46, which in turn is connected to the other wire 53'through the plateattaching screw '34.

Many other such arrangements are possible at t-he point of manufacture without material alteration of the basic housing parts 11, 12 and 13. -For example, the electro-conductive means at either end of connector 10, as illustrated inFigures 6 and 7, -may be substituted for the electro-conductive means at either endof-the connector 10 as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5. If desired, certain of the openings in the walls 23 of members 11 and 12 may be provided with thin break-away closure webs63,'63, which are easily'removed as necessary to suit various conditions. Themembers-11 and 12 may have 'arcuate reinforcing protuberances 64 extending inwardly'for abutment with the element parts 18 or19, as the case may be, and these protuberances may have thin break-away portions 65 which are removable, for example, to accommodate the'wire53 as shown in Figure 6.

-Modifications of the invention may beresorted "to without departing from the spirit thereof or=the scope of the appended claims.

-What is claimed is:

1. A swiveling electrical connector, comprising oppositely disposed, axially aligned dielectric members having sockets opening axially inwardly-from axially-oppositely disposed faces thereof, at least portions of said sockets adjacent said faces of the members'being substantially identical in size and shape, a dielectric-element having a portion complementally and non-rotatably secured in said socket portion of one saidmember-and part rotatably received in said socket portion ofthe other said member to be relatively rotatable about-the axis of the members, pivot means rotatably connecting said element to said other member, slip contact means mounted between said element and said other member to be in electrical connection in all positions of relative rotation of said members, and conductor means mounted in each said member as for electrical connection in a conventional wiring circuit, said conductor means of the respective said members being connected in parallelism through said slip contact means, said mernbershaving inherent-ly identical chambers inwardly of said socket thereof and defining outer end walls of substantial thickness, the portion of said element secured in the corresponding said member socket portion having recessed portions communicating with said chamber of the member in which it is secured, said end walls of the members having therein a plurality of inherently identical apertures selectively receiving saidconductor means of the respective members, said members having spacer portions.centrally within saidrchambers thereof and engageable with adjacent portions of said element.

2. 'A "swiveling electrical connector, comprising op- V positely disposed axially aligned dielectric members having sockets opening axially inwardly from axially oppositely disposed faces thereof, at least portions of said sockets adjacent said faces of the members being substantially identicalvin size and shape, a'dielectricelement having a portion complementally and non-rotatably secured in said socket portion of one said memberarid part rotatably received in said socket portion of'the other said member, to be relatively rotatable about the axis of the members, pivot means rotatably connecting said element to said other member, slip contact means mounted between said element and said other member, to be in electrical connection in all positions of relative rotation of said members, conductor means mounted in each said member as for electrical connection in a conventional wiring circuit, said conductor means of the respective said members being connected in parallelism through said slip contact means, each said memher having inherently identical chambers, inwardly of said socket thereof and defining outer end walls of substantial thickness, the portion of said element secured in the corresponding said'member socket portionhaving recessed portions communicating with said chamber of the member in which it is secured, said end walls of the members having therein a plurality of inherently identical apertures selectively receiving said conductor means of the respective members, and means for spacing said elementfrom said outer end walls of said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,096,440 Lynch May 12, 1914 1,241,030 Schade "Sept. .25, 1917 1,666,247 Schuldt Apr. 17,1928

2,582,800 Sorenson Ian. -.15, '1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 236,871 Switzerland July 2, 1945 674,434 Great Britain June 25, 1952 

